[TenTec] Old vs New = crunch time

[John Farler]

Roger,
Just my opinions from operating many of these rigs, plus what I've read here and other places -
I believe with older rigs in stepping up from the 540 (I have a 540), you wouldn't go wrong with either a Corsair in excellent condition (Not certain of the difference between the Corsair I and   II), or a Omni VI+ in good condition.  I believe the Corsair's receiver went up a step or two from previous models, and the VI+ a step or two above it.  I don't have a Corsair, but do have an Omni V and VI+, and there is a significant difference, although the V is a good rig, too.  I find the noise reduction in the VI+ to work fairly well. 

If you want to keep cost down the Corsair or Omni V would be the way to go.  If you can find a good deal (under$1200) on the VI+, you might want to try it.  All seem to hold value to Ten-Tec users.

If you want DSP based equipment, the Jupiter, Orion or Omni VII will work well. IMHO, only the Orion has a superior RX to the Omni VI+.  I have used the Jupiter and Omni VII, but not the Orion, which I'd say is really specialized for contesters and DX'ers, very demanding uses.
If you like CW, I have noticed a few Jupiters on the air that have a peculiarly rough note - not tremendously bad, but not the great note Ten-Tec is famous for.  Don't know if it has been corrected or not.

The Omni VII does have lots of features and is easy to use, but, as has been discussed the last few days here, may not have a better basic RX than the Omni VI+.  I figure this is a matter of opinion and what one is used to using.

For great receiver value, you might also consider the K-3....One thing about all of these listed is that they are not greatly complicated with multiple levels of menu's, etc.  Good luck...

73, John, K4AVX
k4avx1 at windstream.net

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Message: 14
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 04:49:51 -0800 (PST)
From: Roger Rippy <svtincup at yahoo.com>
Subject: [TenTec] Old vs New = crunch time
To: TenTec at contesting.com
Message-ID: <364615.7941.qm at web110810.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

The thread last month regarding the Omni VI+ the best rig etc, certainly got me thinking about the next Ten Tec rig. Please keep in mind that I really like the "keep it simple" approach to most things and Ham radio has not been an exception. It is time to seriously consider the next radio for my shack and the decision crunch is between a previously owned rig and a new one. My current set up is a Ten Tec Triton barefoot into a Force 12 XK40 (also have a K-1 for QRP and an Alinco DX70 for mobile). When I think about the price of a new radio, I start thinking the ole Triton sure is a good radio for my Ham activity (95% cw). But I know it is time to consider an additional Ten Tec for the future. I spoke with Ten Tec service yesterday and they were helpful discussing the pros and cons of maintaining an older rig in terms of parts. I also have been reading the comments on this list for some time regarding the maintenance issues involving software driven
 radios.

So the question is "If you wanted a relative simple radio for CW work (use
is 75% rag chew; 15% contest; and 10% DX)and you had to keep the cost down, would you opt for an older rig such as a Corsair II or a software driven older rig such as an Omni VI or spring for something in the price range of a new Jupiter? My budget is somewhere between $600 and $1800 which rules out a number of options.

I realize that this is not the first time this has been discussed but 
after reading over a year's worth of archives, I still did not find my
answer. Ten Tec stated that if I was good at troubleshooting and 
maintaining my own gear then an older radio would be fine as long as 
I could find the parts that I need. Building a K-1 kit, hardly qualifies
me to do much in the troubleshooting department!

Any constructive thoughts would certainly be welcome either off-line or on the list. Thanks and 73s
Roger Rippy W7RIP
 Bozeman, Montana  ?